Civilians suffer most in Aceh

Civilians suffer most in Aceh

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh

A woman looked anxious when dozens of fully armed soldiers jumped
out of their trucks as they arrived at a hamlet in the West
Jamuan area in North Aceh.

"When will they leave my village?" the woman, Siti Aminah,
whispered. Her eyes were glued to the troops, who wore military
fatigues with red and white scarf around their necks.

The hamlet was deserted when the military personnel arrived on
Friday. Some 30 houses in the poverty-stricken area showed no
sign of life, or at least a friendly reception for the soldiers.

Most of West Jamuan population make a living from farming.

Siti held her two-year-old son tightly. Her eldest son, Fauzi,
sat near his mother, but no words came out of his mouth to
express his feelings about events which he might only understand
in the coming decade.

"I feel afraid when they come here, because their presence
usually brings armed conflict," she said.

She recalled a few days back when troops first entered the
village, a gunfight between them and Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
rebels followed. The clash took place near her home.

Siti said she was traumatized by the presence of the military,
who were there to hunt down rebels they suspected were hiding in
the area.

No GAM rebels were captured that day, but Siti's husband,
Nurdin Yunus, who is only a farmer, was interrogated by soldiers
afterwards. Siti said her thin husband was hit across the face
several times by some soldiers.

Later on Nurdin showed The Jakarta Post cigarette burns
inflicted by one of the soldiers on his face.

Many other Acehnese may have experienced what Siti and Nurdin
did but it may remain undisclosed if no control is exercised over
the military operation. Under martial law, which was imposed in
Aceh on Monday, the military enjoys extensive powers, including a
news blackout.

Human rights activists have cautioned the government against a
repeat of the rampant crimes against humanity during the military
operation between 1989 and 1998 in Aceh.

Rights activists estimated over 10,000 civilians have been
killed and many others tortured during the conflict in Aceh,
which has lasted 27 years.

Learning from past mistakes, the military has promised to
prevent as many civilian casualties as possible and to take stiff
measures against soldiers who violate human rights.

When the Post asked the soldiers' unit commander as to why his
colleagues tortured a farmer like Nurdin, he simply replied: "We
never wish for something like that to happen, but during a state
of war, it is difficult to think of humanity. We think of killing
or being killed".

The commander then turned to Siti and said: "Sorry about that,
Bu (Mam)."

Another soldier tried to appease Siti and her family.

"No need to worry about us because we are here to free all
people from GAM who commit banditry. Do they take Nanggroe taxes
from you or threaten you?" the soldier asked.

Siti nodded. "Yes, they (GAM) ask for between Rp 2,000 to Rp
3,000 a month." After a moment of silence she continued, "but
they never beat us."

Since martial law came into effect, the Indonesian Military
(TNI) has been chasing rebels believed to be hiding among
villagers.

As of Saturday, 54 GAM rebels have been shot dead, mostly in
Bireun and North Aceh regencies which are GAM strongholds, while
another 14 have been arrested and being detained by the Aceh
Military Police.

Law No. 23/1959 on emergencies says that under martial law,
the military has the authority to arrest and question suspected
people for 20 days before they are handed over to the police.

Aisyah, one of Siti's neighbors, said people, in spite of
their anxiety, were prepared for the war. Local children have
already been trained how to lay low on the floor once the sound
of shooting or explosions is heard.

Another resident took the intensifying conflict lightly.

"It doesn't make any difference to me whether or not martial
law is imposed here because I'm not involved in the conflict. But
since several places in Aceh are safe, why should the government
impose martial law across the province?" Abdul Hamis Bim said.

He said over the past week both the military and the rebels
had checked his identity.

The military has said such a check is required. Those who fail
to show their ID cards could risk being considered GAM members
because the rebels have collected people's ID cards for various
reasons, including recruitment of new members.

In the same vein, a military soldier said it was possible for
him to arrest or shoot somebody who resisted an ID inspection.

Anywhere in the world, a war always brings the maximum
suffering to civilians, even though they are unarmed and not a
party to it.